فصلنامه اعتیاد پژوهی
پیاپی 65 (پاییز 1401)

The present research aimed to predict substance use tendency based on outcome expectancies, parental monitoring, and resistance to peer influences.

The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population of the research included all students of Shahid Beheshti University of Tehran in 2019-2020, of which 419 people were selected using convenience sampling method. Research tools included the adolescent risk-taking scale, the cognitive assessment of high-risk events scale, the resistance to peer influences scale, and the parental monitoring strategies scale. Pearson's correlation and stepwise regression analysis were used to analyze the data.

The results showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between positive outcome expectations and substance use tendency, and negative and significant relationships of resistance to peer influences, parental monitoring, parental control, and parental request with substance use tendency. The results of regression also indicated that 56% of the variance of substance use tendency was predictable based on positive outcome expectations, resistance to peer influences, and parental monitoring.

According to the findings, measures can be taken in order to correct individuals' expectations regarding the positive consequences of substance use, enhance resistance to peer influences, and increase parental monitoring, which will ultimately lead to reduced substance use.

The present research aimed to investigate the moderating roles of resilience and mindfulness in the relationship between stressful events and psychological distress in women with substance use disorder.

The present study was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population of the research included all women with substance use disorder covered by the Welfare Organization of Mashhad in 2020. Among them, 253 people were selected by convenience sampling method. The tools used in this research involved the Connor-Davidson resilience scale, the Kessler psychological distress scale, the stressful life events screening questionnaire, and the mindful attention awareness scale. Data were analyzed by Pearson's correlation and regression analysis.

The results of this study showed that the relationship between stressful events and psychological distress in women with substance use disorder was mediated by mindfulness, but not by resilience.

The results of this research suggest that mindfulness, as a protective factor, plays an important role in reducing psychological distress in women with substance use disorder. Therefore, therapeutic or educational approaches focused on mindfulness, including mindfulness based on stress reduction, can be used to reduce the psychological distress of individuals with substance use disorder.

This research was conducted to compare the effectiveness of the psychological training package of substance use prevention and cognitive-behavioral therapy on the attitude toward substance use in students prone to substance use.

The present research was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest and follow-up design with a control group. Among the male students prone to substance use in the upper secondary level of the city of Isfahan in 2019, 45 students were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method and assigned into three groups of 15 people. The research tool was the attitude toward substance use questionnaire. The first experimental group underwent 8 sessions of the psychological training of substance use prevention, and the second experimental group underwent 8 sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy, and the control group did not receive any treatments. Data were analyzed by the repeated-measures analysis of variance.

The results showed that the effects of both methods were significant in correcting the attitude toward substances in students prone to substance use, and the psychological training of substance use prevention was more effective than the cognitive-behavioral treatment in the follow-up phase.

Experts can benefit from the psychological training package of substance use prevention in order to correct the attitudes of students prone to substance use.

The present research aimed to assess the effectiveness of mindfulness-based relapse prevention intervention on craving and emotional processing in substance-dependent individuals in the non-pharmacological rehabilitation phase.

The current research was semi-experimental with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population included all substance-dependent men in addiction treatment clinics in the city of Urmia in 2020. Among them, 30 people were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly divided into two experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The participants of both groups completed the craving scale-short form and the emotional processing scale in the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The experimental group underwent mindfulness-based relapse prevention intervention in eight 60-minute sessions, and the control group did not receive any training during the treatment. The data were analyzed by the repeated-measures analysis of variance.

The results showed that the mindfulness-based relapse prevention intervention had a significant effect on reducing craving and emotional processing, and this effectiveness also remained stable in the two-month follow-up period.

Findings of this study provide useful information concerning mindfulness-based relapse prevention intervention and counselors and psychologists can use this intervention to improve craving and emotional processing in substance-dependent individuals in the non-pharmacological rehabilitation phase.

The current research aimed to investigate the relationships of family communication patterns and psychopathic traits with addiction readiness by testing the mediating role of moral disengagement.

The research method was correlational of path analysis type. The statistical population included the students of Bojnord Azad University (2640 people) in the academic year 2021-2022, which 200 people were selected by convenient sampling method using an online questionnaire. Instruments consisted of the family communication patterns questionnaire, the psychopathic traits inventory, the addiction readiness scale, and the moral disengagement scale. Pearson's correlation coefficient and path analysis were used to analyze the data.

According to the model findings, the direct effect of the conversation orientation variable on addiction readiness was negative, and the effects of the variables of conformity orientation, psychopathic, and moral disengagement on addiction readiness were positive. In addition, the mediating role of moral disengagement in the relationships of family communication patterns and psychopathic traits with addiction readiness was confirmed.

It can be said that the presence of problems in family communication patterns (low conversation and high conformity) and psychopathic traits can bring about addiction readiness for individuals. Moreover, if moral disengagement is high and is associated with these two variables, we can see a high degree of addiction readiness in teenagers and young people. These results are an important step toward recognizing the effective factors in addiction readiness, and by identifying these causes, appropriate treatment and preventive programs can be applied.

The present research aimed to evaluate the mediating role of emotion regulation in the relationships of resilience and mindfulness with Subjective well-being in individuals with substance use disorder.

The present research was descriptive-correlation of structural equations type. The statistical population included individuals with substance use disorder in addiction treatment camps and the Narcotics Anonymous Association of Tehran in 2019, and 400 people (200 men and 200 women) were selected by convenience sampling. To collect data, the resilience questionnaire, the mindfulness questionnaire, the Subjective well-being questionnaire, life satisfaction and the emotion regulation questionnaire were used. The data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling.

The results of the structural equation model showed that the direct effect of resilience and mindfulness variables on Subjective well-being was significant. Also, the mediating role of emotion regulation in the relationships of resilience and mindfulness with the Subjective well-being in individuals with substance use disorder was significant.

According to the obtained results, it can be said that the variables of emotion regulation, resilience, and mindfulness play an important role in Subjective well-being. Also, the results showed that emotion regulation was a mediator in the relationships of resilience and mindfulness with Subjective well-being.

The present research aimed to discover the semantic system of addiction from the perspective of marijuana users.

The research method was grounded theory in which semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 young people in the city of Rasht who had a history of marijuana use, and the data were collected by theoretical-purposive sampling and analyzed with open, axial, and selective coding.

The identified and extracted factors affecting the pleasurable addiction included: a) underlying factors, including being recognized as abnormal and differentiation of viewpoints, b) underlying factors, including individual social insight, expansion of worldview, and individuality orientation, and c) interfering factors, including friends’ socialization and increasing the quality of friendship. Also, the strategies included awareness of substance quality, self-control, and consumption framework among marijuana users.

Institutional, social, and individual factors are effective in the users’ semantic system of addiction. Given the type of use, and considering their actions rationally and consciously and the appropriate functions of marijuana in their social life, and relying on the idea that I wish marijuana was free in Iran, activists do not consider marijuana use an addictive act. On the other hand, they view the definition of addiction originating from society and structures as a label that leads to the loss of their current social position. In addition, users' semantic system of addiction is also created and strengthened in the process of learning and modeling with peers, and they believe that marijuana is different from other drugs and consider it a normal activity.

The present study aimed to identify disciplinary management approaches in the prevention of substance-dependent women's crimes in the city of Shahryar.

The current research was descriptive-analytical conducted with a qualitative approach. The statistical population of the present study included experts and specialists in the field of disciplinary management and local managers in the city of Shahryar who were selected by purposeful or judgmental sampling method, and based on the principle of theoretical saturation, interviews were finally conducted with 13 people. The data were collected based on a semi-structured interview, and to analyze the data, a directed qualitative content analysis method with sentence-by-sentence analysis technique was used.

Based on the findings of the research, 18 disciplinary management approaches in the field of situational prevention, 29 disciplinary management approaches in the field of social prevention and 13 disciplinary management approaches in the field of criminal prevention were identified.

The results of the research showed that continuous training of substance-dependent women, equipment of police patrols, and also collective efforts of all involved organs affected the prevention of substance-dependent women's crimes in the city of Shahryar.

The present research aimed to investigate the relationship between pathological personality traits and codependency considering the mediating role of reinforcement sensitivity (the behavioral inhibition and activation systems).

The research method was descriptive-correlational of structural equation modeling type. The statistical population included all women who had spouses with substance use disorder in the city of Songhor in 2021. Among them, 200 people were recruited by a convinence sampling method. In order to collect data, the Holyoake codependency index, the DSM-5 personality questionnaire, and the behavioral activation/behavioral inhibition scale were used. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

The results indicated that pathological personality traits had a significant direct effect on codependency, and behavioral activation/inhibition systems had a significant mediating role in this relationship. In sum, the results showed that the model had a desirable model fit.

Behavioral inhibition/activation systems have an important role in increasing or decreasing the relationship between pathological personality traits and codependency. Therefore, it is suggested to pay attention to codependency in the field of prevention, diagnosis, and therapeutic interventions.

The present research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of group reality therapy based on choice theory on responsibility, locus of control, and dose reduction of agonist drugs in substance-dependent individuals under maintenance treatment.

The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population included all individuals referring to addiction treatment centers in the city of Ardakan in 2020. Among them, 16 people were selected by convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. Group reality therapy based on choice theory was performed on the experimental group in ten 90-minute sessions with a frequency of one session per week. Data were collected using the psychological responsibility scale, the locus of control scale, and the prescribed dose of agonist drugs in the medical records of the subjects and analyzed by the repeated-measures analysis of variance.

The results showed that group reality therapy based on choice theory was effective in improving responsibility and locus of control, and reducing the agonist drugs in substance-dependent individuals under maintenance treatment.

This research provides empirical support for the intended intervention to improve the locus of control, responsibility, and reduce the dose of substance-dependent individuals under maintenance treatment.

The present study aimed to evaluate the mediating role of hopelessness and early maladaptive schemas in the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and non-suicidal self-injury in substance-dependent male adolescents.

The present research was descriptive-correlational of structural equation modeling type. The statistical population of the present research included all substance-dependent adolescents referring to harm reduction centers in the city of Tehran. Among them, 350 people were selected voluntarily, based on exclusion and inclusion criteria, by a convenience sampling method in 2020-2021. Research tools included the Beck hopelessness scale, the Young schema questionnaire, the non-suicidal self-injury assessment tool, and the cyber-bullying/victimization experiences questionnaire. The structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

The results showed that cyberbullying victimization had a significant direct effect on non-suicidal self-injury, hopelessness, and maladaptive schemas. Also, the indirect effects of cyberbullying victimization on non-suicidal self-injury were significant through the mediating role of hopelessness and early maladaptive schemas. Thus, hopelessness and early maladaptive schemas mediated the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and non-suicidal self-injury.

The present research provides psychologists with a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and self-injury among substance-dependent adolescents. Suggested intervention and prevention strategies include cognitive rehabilitation of adolescents to break the cycle of turning cyberbullying victimization into self-injurious behaviors and to strengthen hope to protect them from the negative effects of cyberbullying victimization.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Narcotics Anonymous Association twelve-step training on social acceptance, psychological well-being, quality of life, and craving in substance-dependent individuals.

The present research was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included all anonymous substance-dependent individuals referring to addiction treatment centers in the city of Abarkooh in 2020. Among them, 40 people were selected using convenience sampling method and were randomly divided into two experimental (n=20) and control (n=20) groups. Participants in both groups completed the social acceptance questionnaire, the psychological well-being questionnaire, the quality of life scale, and the craving questionnaire in pre-test and post-test. The twelve-step sessions of the Narcotics Anonymous Association were implemented on the experimental group in twelve 60-minute sessions based on the World NA Association’s (2008) book. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance.

The results showed that after controlling for the effect of pre-test, the effect of the twelve-step training significantly affected social acceptance, psychological well-being, quality of life, and craving, and this educational program significantly led to improving social acceptance, psychological well-being, and quality of life, and reducing craving in substance-dependent individuals.

Based on the results of the present research, the sessions of the Narcotics Anonymous Association can be used to improve social and psychological problems and reduce the craving of substance-dependent individuals.

The present study aimed to predict addiction readiness in students based on self-control, emotions, and self-compassion.

The method of this research was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population included all students of Tehran universities who were studying in 2020-2021. Among them, 279 people were selected using convenience sampling method and responded to the addiction readiness, self-compassion, self-control, and emotions questionnaires. Pearson's correlation coefficient and regression analysis were used to analyze the data.

The results showed that addiction readiness in students had a positive relationship with negative emotion and negative relationships with self-control, positive emotion, and self-compassion. In addition, regression analysis results showed that self-control, emotions, and self-compassion predicted 67% of the variance of addiction readiness in students.

According to the findings of this research, it seems that professionals who deal with substance-dependent individuals and are present in their treatment process, can consider factors associated with addiction such as self-control, emotions, and self-compassion, and simultaneously with addiction treatment, take steps to upgrade the levels of these variables as well.

The current research aimed to discover and investigate the factors affecting substance use disorder based on lived experience among the youth people of the city of Bojnourd to achieve an explanatory model.

The method of this research was qualitative and of grounded theory type. The statistical population of the current research included the individuals present in residential and treatment centers of the city of Bojnourd, and 33 people (men=20 and women=13) of them were selected by non-probability (purposive) sampling method. The data collection tool was an in-depth and semi-structured interview.

The results showed that the factors affecting substance use disorder were identified in 5 main categories, including individual, family, social, cultural, and economic factors. Individual factors included 7 sub-categories of hedonism, curiosity, the illusion of increasing power, lack of awareness of the effects of the substance, freedom from physical and mental pains, achieving fleeting peace and escaping from problems, and lack of life skills. Family factors had 5 sub-categories of unhealthy family, collapse and divorce, family problems and tensions, lack of supervision in the family, low social capital in the family, and emotional difference. Social factors consisted of 4 sub-categories of the unsuitable circle of friends, place of living, reduction of social interactions, interaction with substance-dependent individuals, and negative social capital. Cultural factors included 3 sub-categories of normality of consumption, low cultural capital and lack of free time, and low religiosity. Finally, economic factors involved 3 sub-categories of poverty and homelessness, child labor, fatigue, and long working hours. The theoretical model was presented based on these categories.

By identifying the factors affecting substance use disorder and prioritizing the degree of influence of these factors, it is possible to prevent the young people’s substance dependence with appropriate measures and planning.

The current research mainly aimed to discover the hidden angles and dimensions of what, why, how, and consequences of the prevalence of addiction in the unsustainable rural and unbalanced urban development process, to measure the intensity and prevalence range coefficient of addiction in the village, and to provide a grounded theory for conducting surveys in future research on the one hand, and to discover the state of transmitting the addiction range from the gray ages to the low and young age ranges, and to change the traditional pattern of addiction to industrial substances on the other hand.

The current research was based on the grounded theory method using a semi-structured interview, which was designed according to Strauss-Corbin's model, and consisted of two groups of village informants (n=17) and substance-dependent individuals in the village (n=33).

The most commonly used substances in this village were opium and psychoactive substances, including crystal and other industrial substances, respectively, and the prevalence coefficient of addiction in recent years, starting from 2018 to 2020, was about 35 per thousand annually, i.e., about 3.5%. The causal conditions of the village centered on its unsustainable development and the overflow of urban problems and damages in the city of Urmia due to its unbalanced development with the background conditions existing in the structure of the village and substance- dependent individuals and with the intervention and mediation of effective variables lay the foundation for the high prevalence coefficient of addiction in this village, the consequences of which in the absence of proper intervention will be the increased prevalence coefficient and intensified level of underdevelopment of Imamzadeh Village in Urmia in the future.

The worrisome consequences of unbalanced development, increased rural functional disorder, reduced social solidarity, intensified social inequality, doubled prevalence of addiction, collapsed social capital, etc. are all alarming warnings that should be urgently addressed.